


And Tonight, I Dine Alone.

by goldenrazzmatazz



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-19
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-20 00:53:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1490674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenrazzmatazz/pseuds/goldenrazzmatazz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the ImagineFrederickChilton.tumblr.com prompt, 'Imagine Frederick Chilton going to his favorite little diner and he has no idea that the cute little waitress has the biggest crush on him and she always makes sure he has extra food and doesn’t charge him for that extra cup of coffee that he needs.'<br/>"It was almost eight o'clock at night by the time Chilton had left the asylum, and he found himself driving through Baltimore looking to find a place to eat. Surprisingly, instead of the expensive restaurant he normally would have gone to, he found himself drawn to a small diner on the main street."</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Tonight, I Dine Alone.

It had been a hectic day for the good Doctor, having been in an interview with Abel Gideon for nearly two hours (the man had promised to give Chilton the information he so desperately needed, but in reality only told him about Chilton's incompetence in governing the asylum) and had missed lunch. It was almost eight o'clock at night by the time Chilton had left the asylum, and he found himself driving through Baltimore looking to find a place to eat. Surprisingly, instead of the expensive restaurant he normally would have gone to, he found himself drawn to a small diner on the main street.

The restaurant wasn't unappealing, it was a small brick layed building with a wooden sign out front that stated that it had the 'best damn pecan pie' in Baltimore. It had a feeling of warmth to it, reminding Chilton of his late Grandmother, and how as a child she would bake for him. Although Chilton would never be caught dead in anything less than a five star restaurant, he was filled with enough nostalgia to pull in front of the building and go inside. 

As Chilton entered the restaurant, he looked around to see that he was the sole customer. Feeling wary, he turned around to leave before a voice called out to him,  
"Eh! You a customer?" Chilton spun around to identify the voice. An elderly woman with short, curly gray hair stood behind the counter, Chilton offered her a quick nod, "Well then, sit that fine ass down at a table, and i'll send you a girlie to get your order!" 

Chilton nodded again, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks before walking to a small table at the other end of the diner. He had only just begun to wonder if perhaps he had made a grave mistake in choosing this particular eating establishment when a young woman arrived at the table,  
"Hello! I'm Casey, I'll be your server this evening. Would you like a drink to start with, Sir?" She recited, a smile spreading across her face as she pulled out a small notepad from her back pocket.  


'She's cute.' Chilton thought to himself, as he quickly looked over the girl. She was probably about the same height as him, if not slightly taller, and had a light build. She had medium length red hair which was pulled back into a high pony tail, bangs lying across her forehead. Freckles dotted her nose, and she had dimples in her cheeks.  


"Coffee, if you will. Black, preferably." He stated simply, and heard a loud laugh coming from the elderly woman behind the counter.  


"Really? Black? You need to loosen up, get some flavor in your life." Called the woman, laughing audibly.  


Chilton felt the blush return, and looked up at the waitress who wore a look of annoyance. "Really, Marge? The man just wants a coffee, leave the poor thing alone." Called Casey, before sneaking a wink at Chilton, "She's getting old, and her minds going. Don't mind her."  


Chilton nodded again, and added a moment later, "Can I have a salad, as well."  
"Of course deary, coming right up." Smiled the waitress as she spun on her heels and walked away.  


Chilton found himself staring at the girls bottom as she walked away, she was in no way an unattractive girl. She had a light skip while she walked, full of energy and optimism. He let out a sigh as he looked out the window. He remembered a time as a child when he was like that. But he had needed to study, to become a psychiatrist and soon whimsical childhood dreams had given way to the harsh reality.  


When she returned she gave him his order, before promptly sitting down across from him, earning an eyebrow raise from the Doctor.  


"So, you're dressed quite well, you look like you should be dining at the Charleston, not some barely held together diner. What's your story?" She inquired, leaning over the table, "If you don't mind my asking."  


"You don't have to work?" Chilton asked automatically, a tone of irritation automatically taking place in his words.  


"No, you're the only customer we've had all evening," She responded, sounding slightly disappointed, before adding, "Look, if you want me to leave you alone I'll go, don't worry about." "No, it's just-I'm not used to,"Chilton stammered, before changing direction, "I'm Frederick Chilton. I work at the Baltimore Prison For The Criminally Insane,"  


"Oh, that sounds morbid." The girl laughed, earning a small smile from Chilton, "I think I've read about you, actually. You're the one who supervises that Gideon guy."  


Chilton nodded, "He's quite unpleasant." Earning a loud laugh from the younger girl.  


The two continued their conversation for about half an hour, Chilton told her about his work, what he thought of Abel Gideon, and a few of his thoughts on the infamous Will Graham. Casey nodded, listening intently. She offered very few details about herself, giving her opinions on some of what Chilton was saying. After Chilton had finished eating (and drinking three coffees, which Casey had told him were on the house), Chilton requested the bill, deciding that although this was the best evening he had had in quite a while, he needed to get home.  


After being handed the bill, Casey told him she needed to go check on the elderly woman in the back room ( 'Make sure she hasn't choked on her own tongue', she had joked to Chilton, earning a snort), and left. He looked over the small piece of paper, surprised that his entire meal was less than ten dollars. It might not have been the best food he'd ever eaten, but it was the best meal he had ever had. Looking inside his wallet, he embarrassingly realized the smallest bill he had on hand was a fifty. Glancing at the door to the back room, he pulled out the fifty and held it in his hand with the bill as he walked to the front counter.  
The waitress returned a moment later, and Chilton handed her both, and she looked at the fifty in surprise. "How do you want your change divied up, Doctor?" She asked, and looked at his eyes.  


"It's your tip, you do what you see fit." Chilton smiled, and her mouth fell open, "Oh my god, why, thank you." She stuttered, her face going red, "I think you're my new favorite customer." She added, jokingly, "But seriously, that's too much, I can't accept it."  


Chilton's simply smirked as he told the young girl goodnight, ignoring her protests against his generous tip, and he promised to come by again sometime, and had to stop himself from skipping out of the restaurant.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


After his first visit, Chilton made sure to stop by the small restaurant at least once a week. He never told any of his colleagues about the place, feeling it would spoil the magic of his sanctuary away from the pain of his day to day life. He soon fell into a routine, every Friday night he would stop by the restaurant and order himself a coffee and a salad, and would eat with Casey. He would always bring a book or his laptop in case the girl wasn't there, but she almost always was. At the end of every meal, he would tip her quite generously, earning a blush and stammered thanks as he left.  


He liked the restaurant, but the real reason (as if it wasn't completely obvious to anyone else who worked at the restaurant) was that he adored the young waitress. They had started getting to know each other quite well, and he could feel himself falling for her. He wanted to ask her out, on a proper date, but couldn't bring himself to do it, what if she was only kind to him because of his tipping? Or because they needed business? Chilton was willing to stay and dine as he would rather he have a false friend, then no friend at all.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  


She had been working at the restaurant for almost three years now, having begun her work there as soon as she left college. She had wished to be a dancer in her youth, and believing she could make her dreams a reality she decided to pursue a career in dance.  


'Which,' she had confided to Dr Chilton one evening, 'was the worst decision I ever made.'  


Her career never lifted off, and soon she had to find a minimum wage job. Working at a small restaurant wasn't a great career, but it paid the bills, wasn't too difficult, there was free food, and Marge adored her. Her life had definitely improved though, since Frederick had started eating at the restaurant. Casey thought he was a little to loose with his money, usually tipping her twice the cost of his actual meal, but she didn't know how to refuse. She was, honestly, desperate for cash.  
But, it wasn't just because Frederick was willing to throw his money around that Casey enjoyed sitting with him while he ate. He was kind, intelligent, and was willing to have conversations with her. She thought he was just overall, a really awesome person. Casey had started to get nervous Friday evenings, fussing over her hair and makeup before she went to work so Chilton would see her at her best. It wasn't long before Marge noticed this.  


"So, you got the hots for that Doctor that always comes?" Marge asked one Friday afternoon, eyeing Casey's perfectly applied makeup.  


"No, I just wanted to look nice for work. Is that a crime?" Casey asked, blushing.  


"No, but you only give a damn what you look like before he shows. What would ya do if he just, didn't come back?" Marge demanded, and seeing the look of shock that appeared on the young woman's face, "Ask him for his number before he sees this shithole for what it is. Besides, I'm sure he'd be willing to tap ya." Marge continued, grinning.  


"If Frederick Chilton never came back, I wouldn't give a care in the world, and I definitely do not want to, 'tap him'." Casey lied, glaring at the elderly woman, who just chuckled.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


It was simply a coincidence that the same evening that Marge had asked Casey what she would do if Frederick didn't show up, Chilton was lying on a cot in an astronomy tower, being eviscerated by Abel Gideon.  


Had Casey been at home, or had remembered to bring her phone to work that evening, she would have read on the news that the good Doctor Frederick Chilton had been reported missing, and that his patient Abel Gideon had escaped.  


Unfortunately, Casey didn't have cable, nor did she read the news. So when the evening had come to an end, and Frederick had not arrived, she reluctantly closed up the restaurant and walked the two blocks to her apartment. When he didn't show up next week, she felt a small ache in her chest, and when he didn't show up for the next month and a half after that, she simply felt sick.  


If asked, she wouldn't say that she was at all upset by Frederick's lack of attendance at the restaurant, but would instead say that since he was usually the only person to show up on Fridays and that his charitable tips were too helpful not to miss.  
If you looked inside the mind of the young waitress, you would see something completely different. She had grown quite fond of the man in the expensive suits, and had come to care for him deeply. She had begun to long for the conversations they had shared, and had wished she had given him her number, her address, something.  


One morning, while cleaning tables she heard a man come in and ask if he could have a large black coffee and a salade. The exact meal that Frederick had always ordered. Although she knew it wasn't Frederick's voice (the man ordering had an accent she couldn't quite place), she spun around so fast she knocked the bottle of cleaning solution off the table and onto the floor.  


Much to her dismay, the man wasn't Frederick. He was much taller, had short brown hair styled perfectly, dark brown eyes and an air of authority surrounding him. No, he wasn't Frederick, but the way he dressed and held himself reminded her of him, so she quickly grabbed the bottle and resumed cleaning tables, embarrassed.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  


It was two and a half months to the day that Frederick had stopped eating at the restaurant. Casey was standing beside the door, attempting to fix the bell that had fallen off and broke (yet again), when a man entered the store. He didn't seem to notice her, and she only took a quick enough glance at him to note that the man (who couldn't be that old) was relying heavily on a cane. She wondered for a moment why, before turning back to the task at hand.  


She finished about thirty seconds later, and turned around to go around back, when the man slipped. She wasn't sure what had happened, but the man's cane shot to the side as he began to lose his balance and fall forward. She shot across the room, grabbing his arm and steadying him,  


"Fuck buddy, you gave me quite a scare." She joked, not looking at him but rather reaching for the cane.  


"I believe I was a bit more frightened, actually." The man responded, and Casey spun around so fast she almost knocked him over again.  


"Frederick?" Casey asked, incredulous. She quickly scanned the man who was indeed, Frederick Chilton, although he held himself differently. He was slightly wobbling, standing in a way that was clear he was uncomfortable, whether with the situation or standing she wasn't sure. "Here, take a seat." She suggested, handing him his cane.  


"Thank you, Casey." He stated, limping over to his usual table, before sitting down.  


"Shit, I, what happened?" She asked, blushing, "I mean, if you don't mind my asking."  


"I'd prefer to discuss it over coffee." Frederick replied, voice strained. Casey realized that he probably didn't want to talk about the fact that he was now in need of a cane to walk, and she probably was invading his privacy, so she jumped up and ran for his coffee.  
Upon returning, she sat down to see the doctor that she had been missing for months sitting with his head in his hands, almost shaking. He looked up, and offered her a small smile before taking a sip of the coffee, wincing.  


"I'm quite happy I can still drink coffee, I've had to give up a lot of foods. Hard to digest some things after your internal organs were removed and put back in like a children's puzzle." Frederick thought aloud, sounding bitter.  


"What, what do you mean?" Casey prompted, eyes widening.  


"You didn't hear? Or maybe didn't wonder why I just, stopped showing up?" Frederick asked, giving her a look, she shrugged, blushing.  


"I wondered where you went, I kinda missed you," She started looking up and seeing a shocked expression on his face, "But I thought maybe you found somewhere better to go."  
Frederick looked at her for a moment, head tilting slightly, before looking behind her, "Abel Gideon escaped from the institute. He attacked me, cut me open and pulled me apart. I was in the hospital for months. Just got released a few days ago." He looked at her, assessing her reaction, attempting not to flinch at the look of horror that spread across her face.  


"Oh my god, Frederick, I didn't know. Are you, okay now?" She asked, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. He felt a rush of hear go through him as she wrapped her hands in his. Well, he wasn't okay, not at all, but he couldn't say that, could he?  


"I'm recovering well enough, although there will forever be a scar across my abdomen." He replied cautiously, not wanting her pity, nor her disgust.  


"Can I see?" She responded automatically, then when red, "I mean, oh god, I didn't mean to say that." She stuttered awkwardly, causing a chuckle from the man.  


"It's not a good sight, you probably wouldn't enjoy it." He attempted to joke, but it fell flat, Frederick looked away, unsure of what to say, "While I was in the hospital I asked a colleague of mine to stop by and pick me up some food from here. He said it was a cute restaurant, but the staff was odd."  


"Oh, how so?" Casey asked, meeting Frederick's eyes once more.  


"He told me that the first time he came in, one of the waitresses through a bottle of soap, and looked like she was going to attack him." Frederick raised an eyebrow, almost to ask why she would do such a thing.  


"Oh, that was your friend? I thought, maybe that was you, and you were back. I was just jumpy that day." Casey mumbled, blushing once more.  


"Hannibal Lecter doesn't sound a thing like me." Frederick laughed lightly, before taking on a more serious tone, "Why were you so worried if I was back?"  
Casey looked into his eyes, wondering if she should confess how she felt. A tide of nervousness swept over her, and she wondered idly if Frederick could feel how sweaty her palms were in his own. She absentmindedly rubbed her thumbs in circles on his hand, trying to think of a response, before her thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice,  


"Jesus Christ, child! Just tell the man what you been feelin'!" Shouted Marge from the backroom, earning a laugh from Chilton and a glare from Casey.  


"Screw off, Marge! Go take your pills!" Casey shouted back, before turning once more to Frederick, "I missed you while you were gone, a lot. I was wondering if maybe, you wanted to go do something together sometime, or something." Casey asked quietly, looking anywhere but at the man in front of her.  


"I believe I would thoroughly enjoy that." Chilton answered confidently, and Casey looked him in the eyes. Maybe, just maybe, the two of them could work it out.


End file.
